Author(s) :

IGAH Sunday .

Volume/Issue :

Abstract :

The rise of populism has become a pressing challenge to democratic governance, resulting in the gradual erosion of institutional checks and balances, judicial independence and political pluralism across both Western and African contexts. Democratic backsliding, driven by economic inequality, cultural anxiety, and declining trust in institutions, has allowed populist leaders to consolidate power, delegitimise opposition, and weaken civil liberties. This study examined populism and democratic backsliding in Africa using a purely qualitative approach, relying exclusively on secondary data sources. Guided by democratic backsliding theory, the findings reveal that in Western contexts such as the United States, Hungary, and Poland, populist leaders have exploited institutional weaknesses to centralise power, delegitimise opposition, and undermine judicial independence. Similar patterns emerge in Africa, where leaders in Zimbabwe, Uganda, Tanzania, Ethiopia, and Senegal have used populist rhetoric to justify constitutional amendments, restrict media freedoms, and securitise governance, thereby shrinking democratic space. In Nigeria, populist mobilisation has often been intertwined with institutional weakening. Leaders have employed anti-corruption narratives, managed economic crises, and invoked security emergencies to consolidate executive dominance and curtail civil liberties. These trends have been reinforced by selective law enforcement, contested elections, and elite party defections, which undermine political pluralism. Across all contexts, the study identifies economic inequality, cultural anxiety, and declining trust in democratic institutions as key drivers of populist appeal and its corrosive effects. The study recommends strengthening judicial independence, enhancing political accountability, promoting media literacy and civic education, and addressing socio-economic grievances to restore institutional integrity and prevent further erosion of democratic norms globally. Keywords: Populism, Democratic Backsliding, Democracies, Institutions, Civic Education

No. of Downloads :

0